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On the death of Henry the fifth, a nine-month-old baby is made King of England. Ambitious men surround the baby king, including his two uncles, the Dukes of Bedford and Gloucester. Shrewd and clever, Bedford seeks to uphold all his late brother had won and preserve it for young Henry the sixth. Gloucester, a man of poor judgment, greedy for wealth and power, has other ideas.In Lancastrian England and war-torn France, there are three women whose lives are to have a marked effect on the show more future. Katherine de Valois, haunted by an unhappy childhood, finds love in an unexpected quarter and founds the Tudor dynasty; Joan of Arc leaves her village pastures on the command of heavenly voices; and Eleanor of Gloucester is drawn into a murder plot and becomes the centre of a cause cel bre. Murder, greed and ambition flourish alongside sacrifice, dedication and courage. These are turbulent times as the defeated become the victorious... show lessTags
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I feel the author should’ve written a separate book for Joan of Arc. The inclusion of her story here in the middle of the book feels utterly misplaced and it messes up the narrative flow. It doesn’t help that – after Part 1 – Part 2 starts by going back in time, repeating events that have already been documented.
But then repeating information is an annoying Plaidy’s trait. Once we reach Part 3, there’s repeated references of Henry VI harking back to when he saw Joan imprisoned, to mention just one recycled theme.
As with the previous books in the Plantagenet series, the author tries to cover the lives of too many people involved during the period covered. Because of her need to pack everything in, events are rushed over, show more which leads to lots of "telling" and a lack of "showing".
Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, is a fascinating historical person. Pity the author couldn’t have made more of Eleanor’s story.
Like most books by this author, this one had the potential of being much better. show less
But then repeating information is an annoying Plaidy’s trait. Once we reach Part 3, there’s repeated references of Henry VI harking back to when he saw Joan imprisoned, to mention just one recycled theme.
As with the previous books in the Plantagenet series, the author tries to cover the lives of too many people involved during the period covered. Because of her need to pack everything in, events are rushed over, show more which leads to lots of "telling" and a lack of "showing".
Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, is a fascinating historical person. Pity the author couldn’t have made more of Eleanor’s story.
Like most books by this author, this one had the potential of being much better. show less
I liked the book but didn't love it like I have the majority of her books. I may be a bit biased as I am definitely not a fan of Joan of Arc. The book focuses on Katherine of Valois, Joan of Arc and Eleanor of Gloucester. Eleanor was my favorite character as I guess my evil side (lol) loves to see people crash and burn. The book is broken up into three sections, focusing one section on each of the three women. Took me longer to read than most of her books because I just had a hard time getting into it. This is the third to last book in her saga/series and I am sad to see it end.
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Author Information
258+ Works 37,326 Members
Jean Plaidy was a British writer who wrote under various pen names. Her real name is Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert. She was born in London on September 1, 1906. Most of the books written as Jean Plaidy are historical romances based on English history featuring historical figures. The first, Beyond the Blue Mountains, was published in 1947. Hibbert show more also wrote five nonfiction histories and two children's books. Besides Jean Plaidy, Hibbert wrote under Victoria Holt, Phillipa Carr, Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow, Ellalice Tate, and her maiden name, Eleanor Burford. Hibbert died on January 18, 1993. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Epitaph for Three Women
- Original publication date
- 1981
- People/Characters
- Katherine de Valois, Queen Consort of England; Joan of Arc; Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester
- Important places
- Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England, UK; Gloucestershire, England, UK
- Important events
- Hundred Years' War
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 115
- Popularity
- 279,751
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.62)
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 9
- ASINs
- 3
